Power Of The Pig
by rsb57
Summary: Did you ever wonder about the pig on Starsky and Hutch's desk? This is my explanation of it's existence. There are 3 chapters. The second chapter is a flash back.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY PART OF STARSKY AND HUTCH FRANCHISE. THE FOLLOWING IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY.**

The noise and chaos out in the hall follows you into the squad room as you open the double doors. Your senses are challenged by a number of different things as you enter. The desks are arranged end to end more like long lunch room tables. There are people, papers and chairs everywhere. Papers and books are all over the place, not in any recognizable order, but spilling over the desks with no border to control their spread.

The officers are all busy with various tasks, according to their assignments on that particular day. The phones are constantly ringing or in use. Snippets of phone conversations overlap with witnesses reporting details of the crimes against them.

----"Jerry, do you have an ID on the dead body yet?--C'mon it's been 24 hours, you gotta give me something", Marshall complained to the lab guy on the other end of the line.

"But officer, he was big and he had glasses. And he was running off with my pink satchel. That's all I know!" The thin, mousy woman whined to the detective as she gave what details she could remember about the purse snatcher. In turn, Johnson tried to type out the scanty details in such a way that it would pass his captain's inspection.

You might wonder how anyone can concentrate in such a confused, jangling atmosphere. But each professional in that room has their own way of dealing with the chaos swirling around them.

Jack sits by himself and seems to be daydreaming. He is at his desk which is closest to a wall of metal file cabinets. There is an open case file in front of him. On a piece of paper he's drawing stick figures in various positions with captions under each. Captain Dobey is always expressing his exasperation that Jack does nothing but draw cartoons. But the big black man knows that this is how Jack maps out a crime scene. Most of the men take notes, but Jack thinks better when he can outline the scene on paper and come up with his own conclusions.

Arnie is at the middle row of desks on the phone. He has one finger stuck in his ear as he holds the receiver up to his other ear. This way, he doesn't have to overtax his ears to hear what the lab is telling him about the latest crime scene results.

---"The blood type again?-- No from the blue Ford- yeah, the blood and hair found in the trunk.-- What's that??"

Of course, when Arnie has to write down something he's been told, then he's got to break concentration, take his finger out of his ear and write quickly what he just heard and get back to his phone listening position.

Everybody else is just trying to get their immediate tasks done and stay out of the way without getting too sucked in by the din swirling around them.

But the noise takes on a life of its own as the phones keep ringing, typewriters click out reports and even the shouting from the hall filters in to mix with a headache producing scene.

Among all of this however, there are a few personal items mixed in among the clutter. Over by the desk under the window, someone tacked up their 5 year olds newest masterpiece done in a blaze of finger paint color.

On the cabinet by the door sits a potted philadendren, surprising in that it is well tended and flowing over the side of the file.

Perhaps the oddest thing is not so much the object on the desk at the far end of the room, but where it sits. Starsky and Hutch are huddled together in their space among the noise, working on a delinquent report. They are at the end of a long row of desks and have a little more leg room and it's not as claustrophobic as being in the middle of the room.

Despite being surrounded by noise and confusion, the two men don't seem to be having any trouble communicating with each other. They don't need words to understand each other. Mostly, just glances, shrugs and eyebrow lifts are all it takes to communicate. After years of depending on each other out on the streets, they've worked out their own sign language consisting of body language, trust and as few actual words as possible.

The object in question is a piggy bank. Not just any piggy bank but A PIG. It is a round ceramic pig with a red bottom and pink face with a slot in its head. Seems so out of place to have a childish knick- knack in such plain view, with no attempt to hide its existence. Although there are a few other toys on top of the nearest filing cabinet that demand attention. A medium sized white bear sits beside a very skinny looking blue dog. They just sit observing their counterpart on the desk opposite and continue doing their job of watching over the curly, dark haired man and the tall, blond one.

Minnie pushed into the squad room and made her way through the confusion to Starsky and Hutch. She sank into the chair opposite Starsky and pushed at the pig. She thought back to the man originally responsible for it's being there and smiled to herself. She sat up and spoke to her two favorite detectives.

"Hey boys, how are ya doing? I thought I'd give my feet a rest. I needed a change of scenery for a minute.--"

She picked up the pig and was surprised by its weight as she shook it at the two men in front of her.

"It's about time isn't it boys? Time to make another visit to the soup kitchen", Minnie looked over the top of her glasses as she questioned the detectives.

"Ya know Minnie, Me and Hutch were just talkin' about that yesterday. It's amazn' how that pig fills up and most of the time, we never notice anyone contributing.", Starsky stopped writing his report to answer Minnie.

Hutch put the file in front of him out of his way and pushed his chair closer into the table so he could talk easier to Minnie.

"Rocky was killed two years ago down on Mission Street. He never had a chance. Rocky was a good cop and a good friend."

The room started to thin out and quiet down. It was the time of day between the end of one shift and the start of the early evening shift. It was now 5 p.m. and things seemed to slow down between then and 9 p.m. After that anything and everything could happen, particularly if it was a full moon. But for the next few hours, things wouldn't be so hectic and fewer people were at their desks.

"Hey Arnie, remember Rocky?", Starsky called over to the husky detective.

"Sure, who doesn't? Is it time for the pig patrol again?", Arnie pushed his glasses further up on his nose and jotted something down on the paper in front of him.

"Pig patrol on the loose! Hey, I'll go with ya if you can wait a few minutes. I gotta wait for records to call me back--- Oh, wait, that's gotta be them---" Phillip joined in the banter until his phone call interrupted him.

"Sure is comforting to know that Rocky isn't forgotten about. As long as you guys keep this pig as a reminder, his big heart will keep on making a difference." Minnie sighed as she stood up and ruffled her hand through Starsky's curls.

"Minnie, no way could we forget about Rocky Boulder. He was a good cop but also a caring guy. I think he died of a broken heart rather than the knife that was pushed into his back. For being a cop, he was still naive about some things. By helping one person, he thought there would be a ripple effect of kindness extending to someone else helping out."

Starsky stated, lost in remembering the big hearted fellow cop.

"Remember when he told us about volunteering at the soup kitchen on his days off? We all thought he was nuts. But he really cared about those people and did all he could to make a difference in their lives." Hutch pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought back to the friend they had all lost.

"Boys, I have to get back to work. I can see Rocky's spirit is alive and somehow that really makes everything we do seem worthwhile. You be careful now and Starsky, you save a smile for me!" Minnie winked at Starsky as she left the now almost quiet office.

Hutch continued reminiscing about his friend. Rocky and Hutch were partnered together for a few weeks once while Starsky was in the hospital.

"Starsk, you were in the hospital because of your latest gun shot wounds so Dobey put the two of us together. There was a homicide down at Pier 91 near the soup kitchen and Rocky knew the people down there. I just wish I could have prevented his death.", Hutch sadly recounted.

Starsky grabbed the pen from behind his ear and wrote something quickly on the report in front of him. A detail had just popped into his head and he wanted to get it on paper before it slipped from his memory. Once that was done, he moved his butt off the seat and raised himself onto the back of the chair.

"Blondie, don't do that guilt thing. Rocky more than anybody knew what he was up against. You and me tried to get him to be more objective about things and not let his emotions overlap, but he always made it work for him.", Starsky shook his head and continued.

"I was laid up for about two weeks that time. It seems weird thinking about all that now. That was the last assignment for Rocky and before I was even out of the hospital, he was dead. Really strange that the very place he wanted so badly to help was the cause of his death."

Starsky glanced at Hutch, appreciating the sadness he saw reflected back in those blue eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**FYI:** This chapter is a flash back to explain about Rocky and his legacy. It's sort of a story within a story. I thought this would be less confusing to devote one whole chapter to explain who Rocky was and what he was about.

Enjoy!

Becky

Rocky had dark brown hair which was a little longer than regulations allowed. But times were changing and some cops felt it was necessary to blend in rather than provide more reasons to be on the receiving end of the derogatory names and attitude of some of the public.

The wind that was blowing across from the pier tossled his brown curls. Rocky hardly noticed the rancid smell or the garbage at his feet. He thought the area was invigorating and enjoyed the challenges provided by the soup kitchen he had just spent the last few hours in.

Rocky walked out to his car after a tutoring session with Jake and Paul at the Mission Street Soup Kitchen. His two students were making steady progress with their reading and Jake was going to apply for a janitor job at the corner market on 16th street near the YMCA where he lived.

It gave Rocky great satisfaction to know he was helping someone make a difference in their life. He always felt certain that no matter how down on their luck someone was, if they just had a little encouragement they could accomplish anything. If someone like Jake or Paul could feel proud of themselves for learning to read, then Rocky's job was done.

Rocky was a detective with the Bay City police force in the homicide division. He loved his job but needed the release that the soup kitchen provided. It was important for him to give back something positive to make up for the ugliness that surrounded him daily.

He reflected on his career with the police department as he made his way home out of one of the meanest areas of the city to his apartment. He had always wanted to be a cop, not just for the standard reason of wanting to help people but he truly believed that he could make a difference in people's lives. When he first wore the blue uniform he was so proud and tried to do something positive for someone every day.

He never thought about being anything other than a cop as a kid. He was convinced that his height would be useful and his peaceful nature would combine to really make him a valuable officer. Even when he was a teenager, other kids looked to him to mediate their disagreements. After all, who's gonna disagree with such a solid wall of power?

When he was 14 he was 6'3" and by the time he was 18 he was 6'5" and weighed 250 lbs. He had never been fat, just well muscled and solid. In fact that's how he got his name 'Rocky'. His real name was Roland Boulder but after he hit 6'3", everybody started calling him Rocky or Rock because he was so dependable and strong. He used his height and power to his advantage. But he never physically attacked anyone if just a kind word or even his looming presence could turn a situation around.

Well, he had accomplished a lot tonight but now he was tired. It was a good kind of tired and he knew he'd sleep well and be able to start over again tomorrow with a fresh sense of well being.

---------

The familiar loud whistle greeted everyone in the squad room the next morning. Rocky was famous for his whistling and he always started his morning off by announcing his arrival with a surprisingly sharp, clear whistle. Several heads turned in his directon to wave back or call out a friendly greeting.

As Rocky made his way into the squad room that morning, he stopped at Hutch's desk to ask about Starsky.

"Hey Hutch, how's it goin? You need a partner while your buddy is relaxing again at Memorial Hospital? Peter is actually on vacation for the next two weeks and I think Captain Dobey was going to put us together anyway.", Rocky volunteered the information to the blond man.

"Looking forward to it Rocky! Starsky's been complaining about everything the last few days. He's getting better but not out of the woods yet. The one bullet did a lot of damage to his shoulder and chest. He's still having a lot of pain though. You know how that goes, IV's, limited activity and then physical therapy. So since your partner's out as well, we'll make this easy on Dobey and actually agree before he even assigns us!" Hutch shared a laugh with Rocky as he helped himself to some coffee.

"Hutch after work tonight do ya wanna come down to the soup kitchen with me and help out? Ya could get a basketball game goin' or even bring your guitar. We're always lookin' for volunteers." Rocky asked as he leaned back on two legs of his chair.

"I don't get you at all. We work 12, sometimes 16 hour days in the dirtiest, nastiest places and you always go back for more. When I leave here, I can't wait to wash the day away with a long hot shower then a beer and just the chance to shut out the world for awhile." Hutch sipped at his coffee and gave a serious nod in Rocky's direction.

Rocky brought his chair forward to land on all four legs again as he warmed to his favorite topic.

"Hutch, but we can't be like that. We have to want to show people that we care about more than blood and guts. The more visible we are as civilians, the more people will see we don't hide behind a badge or regulations. I want people to know that I'm here to help."

Hutch shook his head and smiled in wonder at the big man in front of him.

"Rocky, you are amazing. As big a guy as you are, your heart is even bigger. I think if anyone can make a difference around here it's you."

Hutch let out a long sigh and shrugged as he continued.

"You won me over. I'll go with you tonight but only if you go to Huggy's with me tomorrow. I'll live in your world for a night and then I'll share my friends and show you how the other half relaxes after a hard day out on the street!"

They were down at Pier 91 investigating a murder from last night involving a homeless man. None of the other officers seemed to be paying too much attention to the body under the blanket until Rocky got there. The big man immediately went to the still form and gently removed the blanket from the body.

"Aw shit,-- Jake!" Without thinking, Rocky patted the blood soaked head and gently closed the sightless eyes of the man he had just been with last night.

"You know him Rocky? Where from?" Hutch questioned the suddenly silent detective.

"His name's Jake and he ain't homeless. I was teaching him to read Hutch! He was doin' great and lookin' forward to applyn' for a job today at the corner market over on 16th. He lived at the YMCA."

Rocky stood up, not caring that there was blood still on his hands. He looked down at his hands and shook his head. With an apologetic look to Hutch, Rocky turned his attention to the crime scene.

"Well, no weapon around and doesn't look like Jake struggled even. No defensive wounds on his hands."

"He might have known his attacker you think? Maybe another homeless---" Before Hutch could finish his thought Rocky turned on him.

"Just stop that crap Hutch. How do you know the other guy was homeless? Maybe he wore a 3 piece suite or it was a kid?--- There, I'm just as bad as you with the stereotypes of a murder and I can't even be objective about any of this. Some detective I am!"

Rocky turned away from the body on the ground and went back to the car, leaned up against it with his arms crossed over his chest and his head down.

After about 5 minutes Rocky joined Hutch again looking over the scene, gathering what evidence they could find and even found someone who had been with Jake shortly before he was murdered.

The two men went back to the precinct to get started on their report of the murder. Rocky told Hutch about helping Jake yesterday with his reading. Rocky hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. There wasn't anybody at the soup kitchen bothering Jake, or hassling him and when Rocky left, Jake and Paul and a couple other men were playing checkers or cards.

"Well, maybe we should go back to the soup kitchen and ask about what happened after I left last night. They'll talk to me because they trust me, Hutch so if you don't mind, I'd rather handle this part myself.", Rocky explained.

Hutch nodded his head but wagged his index finger at the other man.

"You can go and talk to them but I'm going with you. I'll stay in the car and give you 20 minutes, then I'm coming in after you."

------------

Questioning the men from last night didn't reveal much. Jake had left the soup kitchen alone. Randy was the man who had seen Jake just before he was killed. He said that he saw two men messing with Jake. The man wasn't sure how old they were but they weren't from the soup kitchen. Randy wanted to corner the thugs himself and grab their coats and shoes. But before he could do that they had turned nasty and pulled Jake into a dark side street. That's when Randy had decided he didn't really want their coats, he just wanted out of there.

At the end of their shift, Hutch and Rocky went their separate ways until Rocky would pick Hutch up at 7 p.m.

Hutch really didn't want to go with Rocky. Especially after having been down to the same area because of a crime earlier in the day. But he had promised and he didn't have to be on duty again for almost 24 hours so he'd still have some time to see Starsky and unwind.

No sooner had the two men gotten to the soup kitchen than Rocky was surrouned by a group of ratty looking men of various ages. One man was dirty with a long beard but pushed a book toward Rocky to show him how far he'd gotten with it.

Hutch had to admit he was surprised at how well spoken the bearded man was as he described the chapter he had just read out of the classic novel.

Another man, much younger than most of the men there, shyly handed Rocky the GED results he had just recieved out of his post office box.

Rocky slapped the boy on the back and waved the paper above his head to share the good news with everyone.

Jill sat alone smoking a cigarette. There were not many women there that night but she sat just watching the activity. She had long blond hair and a plaid flannel shirt on that was two sizes two big and wore a faded pair of blue sweat pants. Rocky went over to her and made sure she was alright.

She nodded her head before getting up and moving over to the piano. She sat on the bench and softly played a melody. She was soon lost in the music while everyone else went about their business.

Pretty soon Rocky and Hutch sat across from each other at a table playing a game of "Scrabble" with two other men. After the game was over, Hutch got out his guitar and was soon joined by Jill as she picked up the tune that Hutch was strumming out on his guitar.

The evening was full of surprises for Hutch. Most of the men were sincerely looking for a way to improve themselves and just needed some guidance. Once or twice Rocky had to break up a quarrel between two young men who seemed more interested in causing trouble but they didn't stick around long after that.

Hutch wondered if they had anything to do with Jake's death. He'd talk to Rocky about them later.

By the time Hutch and Rocky left it was already after midnight. The soup kitchen stayed open till about 1a.m. Before leaving, everyone always pitched in to clean up the tables and put everything away. They appreciated having the soup kitchen to come to and most didn't complain about a little housekeeping.

------

The start of another shift found Hutch and Rocky back at the precinct. Both men were drinking coffee and discusing what they had found out the previous day about Jake's murder.

"Rocky, do you know those two guys that were arguing at the center last night?", Hutch asked.

Rocky thought a minute and cleared his throat before answering,

"I was thinking about those two. No they aren't regulars. I didn't know them so I think I'll ask around about them. Who knows, maybe this case will solve itself for once. Randy wasn't there last night so maybe if I can track him down, we can cruise around looking for the two trouble makers and he can ID 'em."

"Rocky, you have a scary way of looking for clues. Why not let Huggy snoop around, put the word out about Jake and let the street answer for us?" Hutch stood up to refill his coffee and sat on the end of the table as he listened to Rocky's explanation.

"Hutch, I'm just as good as any street stoolie. Those people know me down there and I know if I just hang around with Randy, we'll run into those two. It'll be cool. The people down there watch my back 'cause they know I watch out for them."

Once again Hutch was amazed at Rocky's approach to a part of society that most people didn't even know existed. The man wasn't scared, just confident that with a little patience, the answers would come to him.

"I'll give you 5 hours. Check in every hour. I don't like leaving you alone but if you really think it'll help solve this murder, go for it. At the end of 5 hours, you better be back here drinking this stinking coffee."

Hutch tried making a joke out of a situation that increasingly made him uncomfortable.

"You worry too much friend. You and Starsky have done this same thing as have other detectives. We all have our way of reaching for answers and for me and my partner, this way works for us. But okay-- Mom--, I'll call home every hour and be back in five with the best burritos you ever had. Even Starsky doesn't know about this place!", Rocky teased Hutch, trying to lighten the blond's mood.

Hutch rolled his eyes and smiled warmly at the big guy in front of him.

"Rocky, Starsky got you eating that kind of crap? The two of you need to hang out some day and make the rounds of all your favorite trashy places to eat! --- But Rocky, I don't like how you want this to go down. I'm still gonna check with Huggy and see what he can turn up. For now, have it your way and remember, call every hour!"

Rocky whistled a tune and waved good bye to the room as he made his way out of the office. Hutch picked up the phone to check in with Huggy then called Starsky to tell him he'd see him later that evening.

Two hours later and Rocky had dutifully checked in each time. He had found Randy but so far had no luck with the two drifters. The third time Rocky called he was 20 minutes late but had the names of the two guys and where they hung out.

The problem came in the fourth hour that Rocky was to check in. It was well past the hour he was to have called in and Hutch was getting nervous. Finally 45 minutes past when he should have, Rocky called with news. He had found Justin and Martin on Pier 41. Rocky was following the two and was with another group of people from the soup kitchen.

-----"Rocky, I'm gonna join you at Pier 41. You can't--- What? no, I'm coming down and we'll--- Rocky, can it! No more heroics-- Rocky, don't be so stubborn, Rocky? Rocky, damn you!"

The phone conversation between the two men had been very short and very frustrating for Hutch. Rocky didn't want Hutch anywhere near the pier but the blond didn't like how rushed and nervous Rocky sounded on the phone.

Hutch slammed the phone back down and rubbed his hands through his hair trying to decide what to do.

He knocked on Captain's Dobey's office door and entered after he heard the man's harried response.

"Cap, I need to go get Rocky. He went down to the pier looking for two possible suspects. We had arranged for him to call in every hour about his progress and he just now called but 45 minutes late"

"Hutch, Rocky and his usual partner Pete, work like this all the time. I thought you and Starsky drove me nuts with the way you make things up as you go along.! Pete and Rocky blend in with their street friends and always manage to find what they're looking for."

Dobey stood up and scratched his face as he rested his bulk on the edge of his desk. He could tell how worried Hutch was so he gave him permission to track Rocky down.

"Hutch, take a couple of uniformed men with you just in case. Do you think you know where he is?"

"Cap, the last time he called he was at Pier 41 and had found the two guys. But he rushed through the phone call and I just don't like the gut feeling I have." Hutch stood up and fixed a worried frown at his captain.

"Thanks, Captain. I'll get a couple of black and whites to back me up and get down there."

With 2 black and white police cars following him, Hutch drove down to the pier. His crampy, gut feeling increased as he got closer to the pier. He didn't see anything at first until he had parked and started checking the closest abandoned warehouse.

The men had not gone far into the old warehouse when Hutch stopped in his tracks. About 30 feet in front of him one man stood over a very still body. Their guns already drawn, the officers followed Hutch as he stepped closer to the two figures.

"Alright,listen and do exactly what I say!. Just turn around with your hands up!", Hutch growled as the standing man did as he was told.

The face that greeted Hutch was streaked with tears. He had on a dirty trench coat and under that Hutch saw he had on torn jeans, equally as dirty.

"I didn't do nothin' cop. I'm Randy!!", he pleaded as he stood there with his hands above his head.

"Jesus, Randy! Are you gonna tell me the guy on the ground is Rocky?" Hutch motioned for one of the officers behind him to secure Randy while Hutch crouched down to the still body in front of him.

Hutch knelt over Rocky. Before he even checked for a pulse, he knew Rocky was dead.

"Randy, you better start talking. What happened?" Hutch turned his head to look at Randy who was being held by one of the other officers. Randy was still crying and had started to shake.

"I didn't do nothin'. Rocky was my friend.!"

Randy stood in the other man's grip, sobbing and wiping his nose with the sleeve of his coat.

"Justin and Martin did this. Rocky jus' was tryin' to talk them inta goin' to the police station and confess to killn' Jake. They got mad and went after Rocky. I hid behind some boxes and heard a gun! After it got quiet, I saw them two run away and I found Rocky here!"

Randy gulped as he tried to shrug out of the officer's grip. He just wanted to go to his friend.

"Somehow they overpowered him and killed him.There's a knife here. The bastards shot him then knifed him. He never had a chance.", Hutch hung his head as he mourned for his friend.

"You guys, take Randy downtown, feed him and get his statement. Here, take the knife and see if you can find the gun. I'll wait here till the coroner comes then I'm gonna follow Rocky's lead and hunt the ass holes down who did this! What a waste. Rocky was a good cop.", Hutch barked out orders to his fellow officers as he took the blanket one of the men offered.

Hutch silently and carefully covered the battered body. Rocky died believing he was making a difference in the world around him. But it was the very people he tried to help who killed him.

Still hovering over his friend, Hutch made a promise to the lifeless form still on the ground.

"Rocky, I swear I'll get the guys responsible for this. What you tried to do won't be forgotten either. These people and that soup kitchen, will miss you the most. Your memory will not be allowed to fade away."


	3. Chapter 3

**FYI **This is the last chapter and is back at the present time.

------------

The office had gotten steadily busier as the evening wore on. The few hours of peace were once again shattered by the workings of a bustling police force.

Hutch stood up and stretched and reached for the piggy bank as he spoke to the dark haired man still sitting on the back of his chair.

"Ya know Starsk, working with Rocky was quite an experience. I had never thought about how what I did as a cop affected people after I went home for the day. Rocky combined the business of being a cop with his human nature. Not many people can handle being so emotionally involved but it worked for him."

Hutch turned to face the file cabinet and smiled as he glanced at the white teddy bear and the blue dog. He turned back toward Starsky and thought about Rocky's funeral.

"Nabbing the creeps who killed him was almost as good as seeing all Rocky's friends at his funeral. Remember all the street people who came? Everyone of them I talked to wanted to share how Rocky had helped them."

Starsky smiled and replied, "Yeah, he was well liked by everybody. But I don't remember where this pig came from? When I came back to the station after getting out of the hospital, it was already here. I asked a couple people about it but nobody seemed to know where it came from or who put it here. It just seemed to have shown up one day and has never left."

Hutch just winked at his friend and pretended ignorance.

"Don't know about that. It just appeared after Rocky died and became common knowledge that what the pig collected would go to the soup kitchen where Rocky helped out."

Hutch still held the piggy bank in his hands as he started toward Captain Dobey's door. He knocked and went in even before he heard his captain's answer.

Hutch walked into the office and shook the pig to get Dobey's attention.

Dobey looked up from the file he was reading and sat back in his chair.

"Hey Cap, I'm taking the pig down to the soup kitchen. Be back in about an hour."

Captain Dobey rubbed his chin with his hand and stood up. He reached into his back pocket for his wallet and handed $20 to Hutch.

"I don't know how you manage to keep this thing going after all this time but I'm proud of you Hutch." The captain grinned at the blond in front of him.

"Cap, I guess for the same reason you always give 20 bucks everytime we make a donation. None of us want Rocky's death to have been for nothing. And you're just an old softy underneath all that grumpiness!", Hutch teased his captain.

"Get outta here Hutch. What you mean accusing me of being soft?! I'm a damn good cop with no time for foolishness!", The captain barked good naturedly as Hutch moved back out the door.

"He give his usual 20 with a hard sell?", Starsky asked as Hutch came back to their desk.

"Oh yeah, nasty dispositon on a smiling face. He doesn't fool me!" Hutch grinned as he started counting out the money inside the pig.

Before Hutch was done counting, several other bills found their way among the coins on the desk. Everyone knew about the pig and Rocky but it was never talked openly about. The officers all wanted to contribute to keep the work going that Rocky had been involved with.

Nobody ever messed with the pig. It never got moved or shoved out of the way. If some uninformed person even picked it up or touched it, they received either nasty looks from those around them or a warning to get their hands off. Then they were treated to a shortened version of the legend of the pig.

So in a world of ugliness and pain, a pig had the power to bring men and women together and believe that they could make a difference.


End file.
